


To the Ends of the World

by psychotraumatic



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Flash Fic, Immortality, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Quote: "We're not meant to be alone" (The Old Guard), Short One Shot, The Old Guard AU, This doesn't end as badly as the tags make you think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:49:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26811673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/psychotraumatic/pseuds/psychotraumatic
Summary: Wonwoo came to accept that he was going to live and die by himself, several hundred times or even more.But he keeps dreaming until he realizes he's not meant to be alone.Written forSnapshotsChallenge 3: Supernatural.
Relationships: Jeon Wonwoo/Wen Jun Hui | Jun
Comments: 14
Kudos: 48
Collections: Challenge 3: Supernatural





	To the Ends of the World

**Author's Note:**

> This story is inspired by the lore of immortality from _The Old Guard_. Crossing my fingers that most of you have read the novels or seen the movie, but in case you haven't, I'm open to discuss!
> 
>  **CONTENT WARNING:** Suicide and self-harm are briefly mentioned. You might even miss it, but I wanted to add the tags just in case some readers are sensitive to that content.
> 
> I hope you enjoy~

Wonwoo stuffs his bags, mentally running through a list of things to bring on his journey. He packs only the essentials — a few changes of clothing, a small hygiene kit, several cereal bars, and a water bottle. He wishes he can bring something more substantial, but he figures he can always buy what he needs later.

When he reaches for the first aid box, he stops, a bitter smile tugging at his lips as he realizes it'll just take up space.

Making sure he packs light is a must, especially since he's not entirely sure where he's going.

That, and he may need to keep running.

* * *

Wonwoo wakes up before the sun even rises, a feat considering he fell asleep restlessly. Between his perplexity over what's happening and the dreams that have haunted him since, it's a wonder he can sleep at all.

The dreams are always different, but somehow feel the same. Each scene makes Wonwoo feel as if he's living through years, decades, perhaps even centuries; as if he's traveling from China to South Korea, from Canada to Brazil, from the most familiar places in the east to the unknown edges of the west.

Every dream has a different story, but they always have the same character. Wonwoo keeps seeing a man with a sharp jawline, a pointed nose, perfectly-arched eyebrows, and an enticing pair of lips. Beautiful is the only word that comes to mind, at least until he catches glimpses of the darkest gaze that scream of the worst horrors eyes have ever seen.

Those same eyes tell Wonwoo what he needs to know — that while he's not sure who the man in his dreams is, a life of suffering is inevitable once people know what Wonwoo has become.

* * *

Wonwoo finally relaxes as soon as the plane reached cruising altitude, silently saying goodbye to the life he's known and setting out on a new adventure. He didn't plan on going anywhere in particular, but settled for Hong Kong once he saw what flights were available. He figures he can stay there for a while, or move from one place to the next, at least until the façade of a backpacking traveler wears out.

It was either that or until people start to wonder why Wonwoo doesn't seem to move with time.

For all intents and purposes, he was supposed to be dead after all.

* * *

The first dream comes after the most pivotal moment of his life.

Wonwoo was driving home after staying late at work. He was bone-tired, ready to hit his bed as soon as he walks through the door. The only thing he was grateful for was the absence of traffic as he cruises through the road to his secluded home.

He nods off at some point, losing control of the car and hitting the rails, tipping over and rolling five times before finally stopping in a ditch.

The first responders tell him it's a miracle that he was alive, that he was able to walk away with only minor cuts and bruises. They take his silence as shock, letting him off easy and driving him home once the paramedics were sure he was fine.

There was one problem in that whole scenario though.

Wonwoo was absolutely certain he died.

* * *

The dreams come every night.

He sees the man in what appears to be ancient garb, as a soldier for Imperial China. The stranger dies during a war along the Manchurian border.

The man also acts as an envoy to a Korean king, only to die by hanging when he's discovered to be a spy.

On an expedition to Southeast Asia, the man drowned when a storm hit and sank the boat.

The man also took part in the spice trade with England before dying of a plague.

Wonwoo even dreams of the Salem Witch Trials where the stranger was burned at the stake, repeatedly.

There were wars and diseases, car accidents and plane crashes, acts of crime and deaths on duty.

Each time the man dies. Every time he lives again.

* * *

Wonwoo makes it to New York fifty years after his first death.

He figures that in a city as big as this, it was easier for him to disappear in the background. Maybe he'll get stabbed or gunned down a few times, who knows?

He's finally used to the sensation of dying and coming back to life after so many times. Some of his deaths by external forces, others by his hand. He lives either way.

He still dreams. By now, he's able to draw the man's face from memory. It's on a whim that he uses that drawing for an image search, resulting in galleries worth of matches of a man who seemingly lived through all of time without anyone noticing.

The most recent picture led him here, standing in front of a nondescript building in Brooklyn, waiting for the person in apartment I7 to come and meet him.

Recognition settles on both their features when they finally gaze at each other.

"I found you."

"You found me."

* * *

After fifty years, Wonwoo came to accept that he was going to live and die alone, several hundred times or even more. He was fine not knowing the hows or whys, accepting that the universe somehow thought it was funny to make him immortal.

But Wonwoo keeps dreaming of a man who's lived through a thousand or so years and traveled to the ends of the world and back.

They're both jaded, one more than the other, but at least they're together.

Wonwoo threads their fingers, gripping hard as the plane continues to fall from the sky, schooling his expression to fear even though he's sure everyone else is busy praying for their lives.

He turns his head to the side when he feels a squeeze, and scoffs when he gets a sly wink for all his troubles.

"See you on the other side, Wonwoo."

"See you on the other side, Junhui."


End file.
